The Search for Auggie
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Alternate take beyond S1E6 Communication Breakdown. When Auggie disappeared off that train with Natasha, everyone labeled him a traitor to his friends, family, and country - everyone except Annie Walker. 5 years later, a rumor has her traveling across the world to find him.
1. Chapter 1

_5 years ago, Auggie Anderson, head of Tech Ops for the CIA's Domestic Protection Division, disappeared off a train with Natasha Petrovna. He was undercover, using his past romantic connection with her to secure a hack that she had engineered. The FBI wanted her, as well, but the CIA assured them they could bring her and the hack in._

_The computer chip was left behind, but Natasha and Auggie jumped off the stopped train and disappeared into the night. The aftermath was twofold, good and bad. Some were happy that a nationwide communications blackout had been stopped, but others bemoaned the loss of Petrovna, its author. Auggie's part in it served as a black eye to the CIA, who had to officially apologize to their counterparts for their employee's actions._

_Doing so embarrassed them, and they couldn't allow that to continue. Officially, he was MIA, not charged with any type of offense, and every CIA operative was told to "keep an eye out" and report back if he was found. Unofficially, Auggie Anderson's name disappeared from the lips and minds of everyone within the walls of the CIA Headquarters building._

_Everyone except one operative._

* * *

Annie Walker stepped into her apartment-slash-safe house with a relieved sigh, the end of a long week culminated. She took a second to lean against the wooden door and take a few deep breaths. The homey scent soothed her mind that'd been pulled in a dozen different directions for the past few days.

Her next actions were automatic. Locks clicked, bag in armchair, a few steps to the closet to deposit her stilettos, and to the cabinet to grab a bottle of wine. She clicked on a lamp to chase away the shadows that'd grown as the sun began to set. Her hand had reached back to unzip her dress when her eyes were caught by a blinking red light on her desk.

She walked over to it while lowering the zipper down her back. The light was emanating from one of her throwaway phones that sat atop a pile of paperwork. Her fingers froze on the zipper as she realized it was the phone she'd dedicated to her search for Auggie.

Ever since she walked into that empty train compartment, with Jai hot on her heels, she refused to believe that Auggie Anderson had decided, on a whim, to turn traitor to his job, his friends, and his country. Unfortunately, she was the only one who believed so, despite her vociferous protestations.

And so began her years-long search for a man she'd grown to trust more than any in her life she met before or since. With slightly shaky hands, she picked up the phone. One new text message showed up from a number she didn't recognize and was sure untraceable. She didn't care who it was from, either way. The people she'd reached out to over the years were promised anonymity for information, and she hadn't betrayed anyone's confidence as of yet.

She took a deep breath before opening the text, hoping beyond hope that this time, it'd be the one.

_Istanbul Uni_

She blinked, then tried to scroll down for more information. Nothing else was there. "Istanbul Uni?" she said aloud, as if hearing the words instead of seeing them made any kind of difference. "As in Turkey?"

Her dress was falling off her shoulders by now, so she set the phone down and hurriedly undressed. The red silk was hurriedly draped over a chair, and she pulled on an oversized tee that fell to her thighs. The wine bottle and a corresponding glass were snatched up on her way back to her desk. The exhaustion she'd felt when she walked through the door had since vanished.

She clicked a lamp on, poured her glass full, and booted on her laptop. She took a deep breath to quell the overwhelming surge of adrenaline and reminded herself that she'd gone through this a handful of times before. Hints and tips gathered over the years that showed promise amounted to nothing but wasted time and money. But they were just that, hints.

This tip named a specific location and was only a couple of days old. She surmised that Uni stood for University, and though Annie had yet to step foot inside Turkey, she knew they had a large university in the city. But what else? Was he a student? A teacher? Did he sweep the floors or clean the toilets?

She groaned in frustration as her search of the university's website, complete with bios and pics of faculty members, showed nothing close to a blind American man with chocolate brown eyes and wavy hair. She didn't bother searching for his name. Any operative - or ex-operative in this case - worth his salt would use his own name if he didn't want to be found.

Leaning back in her chair, she took a healthy swallow of the golden liquid and willed it to calm her nerves so she could think. Her eyes automatically lifted to the corkboard above her desk that over the years had been filled with notes and maps and pictures. In the middle, nearly obliterated by other hastily pinned items was a picture of Auggie that she'd put there when she began her search. Even now, his smile and warm eyes made her feel -

She shook her head and sighed. She never could quite pin down how she felt in Auggie's presence - safe and secure, sure. When they met, she was still reeling from Ben and trying to make a good impression within the CIA, but now she mentally kicked herself for not doing what she should have all those years ago. Namely, telling Danielle she couldn't make it to the weekly dinner, asking Conrad to excuse them, and giving Auggie a ride home with a not-so-thinly veiled invitiation up for "coffee."

Would anything have changed? Maybe, maybe not, she thought. Anyway, all that conjecture and what ifs were a moot point now. He left, without a note, without a reason, and she'd be damned if she let him be relegated to the list of "the ones who'd gone bad."

Her phone ringing startled her from her picture-staring, and she got up to answer it, swallowing down the last bit of wine in her glass.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sweetness," came the deep, soothing voice. "Heard you got back into town."

Annie's eyes closed as her body automatically responded to the smooth baritone voice. "Oh, Hank, hey. How are you?"

"Never better. And how's my favorite blonde?"

"Mm, tired, of course. All these years, and I've yet to conquer jet lag," she chuckled.

"I've got a surefire cure for it," Hank replied. "How you meet me at my place, and I'll take all your ills away?"

Annie shook her head and looked down at her bare legs peeking out from beneath the t-shirt. Hank Peters - a fellow CIA operative who she hooked up with sometimes - had mentioned last week that he'd call after she got back, but...

She opened her mouth to answer, but her eyes fell, once again, on that picture above her desk, and she felt a wave of something close to guilt wash over her. It dulled down her body's sexual response to Hank's innuendos.

"I'm sorry, Hank. All I've got on plan for tonight is some sleep, some wine, and maybe a bit of television."

"You sure? I can keep you company."

"I'm sure. You go out, have fun, and I'll see you around, okay?"

"Sure thing, sweetness."

They said their goodbyes, and Annie hung up the phone. Her body gave a slight protest to her actions - it remembered how wonderful Hank's hands felt, but Annie's mind was elsewhere. It was remembering laughter, soft touches, a friend when she thought she had none, and the thought that something might've happened to him. She couldn't give up on him now. Her libido would have to wait.

She refilled her wine glass, settled back down at her desk, and delved into the world of Istanbul, Turkey.

* * *

Annie leaned back in the guest chair in Joan's office and crossed her legs. Her boss sat across from her, the vacation request in her hands, and the glasses she now wore for reading perched along the bridge of her nose. On anyone else, the effect might've looked ridiculous, but Annie thought it made her imposing boss look all the more impressive.

Five days had passed since she made the decision to travel to Istanbul, Turkey. She spent that time delving into a crash course of Turkish history, culture, and language. She'd be leaving in a few weeks, just enough time to provide a buffer and solidify her alibi that she was, indeed, planning a vacation and not going on a personal, unsanctioned mission to bring back one of their own.

"Everything seems to be in order, but Turkey, Annie? Really?" Joan asked with a disbelieving scoff. "I always thought your preference leaned towards Paris."

Annie shrugged. "You're not wrong, but I was thinking about where I wanted to go and realized Turkey is one of the few countries I've never set foot in. And my Turkish language skill is high-school level."

"You want to become fluent in another language?" Joan asked incredulously. "As a way to relax?"

"Not just that. The buildings there are beautiful, and there's a beach and shopping."

"Okay, okay, I can see your eyes glazing over already. Truthfully, we don't have anyone here that speaks Turkish, so that'd be a real asset to the department."

Annie smiled. Leave it to Joan to turn the situation around in to the agency's favor. She'd held back a relieved exhale as the form was signed and handed back to her. Besides, everything she said was true. Turkey was popular as a tourist destination, and the hotels and shopping there was impressive.

"Can I bring you back anything? The handcrafted jewelry there is stunning," Annie said, smiling.

Joan returned it and fingered the gold chain around her neck. "You can't buy my favor, Annie, but if you do see anything..."

Her voice trailed off, but the raised eyebrow and smirk of a smile told Annie to add a stop at one of the jewelry shops in the Grand Bazaar to her itinerary. "Understood. Thanks, Joan."

* * *

**A/N Hello, all. Apologies for the re-do, but if you've read the original 2 chapters of Searching for Auggie, I'm sure you'd agree that they - for lack of a better word - sucked. I couldn't continue with the style and setup any further so decided to chuck it all, give myself a few days, and restart.**

**I have a lot of ideas for this, including a half-written scene of how and when Annie and Auggie "meet."**

**So, please stay with me on this and enjoy.**

**Thanks in advance and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

After securing her vacation cover as the reason for her trip to Istanbul, Turkey, Annie attacked the mission to find Auggie with all the fervor and determination she used for the past five years while on the job. The only difference, she told herself, was that she didn't run the risk of getting caught, and the target was one of the best "good guys" she'd ever met.

The first step she had to conquer was acquiring enough Turkish language skills to imbed herself into the city without looking too much like a nosy tourist for three weeks. Inwardly, she silently berated Auggie for landing himself in a country where she didn't know the language. It'd have been so much easier if he went to Russia or Mexico. Even France, where she could indulge in some good food and shopping on her search.

She then scoped out the area where the hotel she booked was located - Hotel Antea. It looked unassuming and beautiful t the same time, but it was also pretty centrally located so she wouldn't spend too much time commuting as she went around the city. Of course, she thought, she could always just walk into Istanbul University and ask any faculty or students or staff if they had a blind American ex-pat working there, as her anonymous tip inferred, but she didn't want to scare him off.

Because, despite the fact that she didn't want to think about it, he might still be with Natasha. Just thinking of the woman made Annie cringe inside, but she couldn't ignore the facts. He left with and because of the beautiful Russian hacker, and there was no reason as of yet to believe that he wasn't still with her.

Auggie could've talked 'til he was blue in the face that he was engaging with Natasha in nothing more than a professional manner the day he disappeared, but Annie still remembered the look on his face when he heard her voice at DataTech. It rankled her more than she understand or wanted to understand at the time, but over the years, she'd come to know and realize that what she felt that whole day was pure, unadulterated jealousy.

Of course, that realization only manifested itself after he'd disapppeared, so Annie was left with nothing but unresolved feelings. It'd pushed her for five years and halfway across the world in a country that was wholly foreign, even to the experienced world traveler.

* * *

Just in case her trip amounted to nothing, Annie made herself plan and book herself as if she were just going on vacation. Turkish Airlines offered a one-way with no stops from Dulles straight to Ataturk Airport, and Annie felt nearly decadent as she reclined nearly full-out in the business class seating.

She also treated herself to a cab ride to Hotel Antea the next day, though shuttle and bus services were available. Once she hit the Istanbul streets, though, luggage in hand and the sound of Turkish being spoken all around her, did she shift into mission mode and remember what the main reason she was here for. Operation: Find Auggie was in full swing. She'd afforded herself a wide berth of three weeks, and should the tip that her former best friend called Istanbul his home equate to a bust, she'd be damned if she'd waste the rest of the time sulking.

She checked in, unpacked, patted herself on the back that the first use of her newly acquired Turkish-language skills was successful, and set out to get a lay of the land. The University, from her research and map, lay to the north of the city and her hotel, but she decided to make the hotel her focal point and work out from there.

And so with the inner mantra of "God, this is a beautiful city - that guy looks like Auggie," Annie Walker set out into Istanbul, Turkey, from the Hotel Antea by foot. She'd eventually move on to mass transit and perhaps a taxi or two, but the main part of her mission, beyond finding Auggie, was to gain some fluency in the language, and that wouldn't be garnered in the back seat of a cab.

By nightfall, she'd eaten very well and met a few tourists and one student at the university. Annie had to hold herself back from interrogating the student about a blind American, of course, and kept her questions and topics of interest to the city and anything out of the ordinary going on.

One of which that'd escaped her research was the fact that, as of tomorrow, the annual Istanbul Jazz Festival was kicking off and would last nearly the entire time she was there. The tourists she'd chatted to over dinner said they made the trip every year, and their talk and enthusiasm immediately called to mind Auggie's mention all those years ago of listening to Mingus on his headphones when no one was paying attention.

Annie had to excuse herself from the conversation at that point, as another puzzle piece fell into place. Where else, she thought, would a jazz-loving man settle down in than a city tha paid homage to it on a yearly basis?

That night, before she settled into her plush hotel bed, she researched on her laptop more thoroughly the looming Istanbul Jazz Festival and learned how large and widespread it was. If her Auggie was not only roaming the massive campus of Istanbul University, but the entire of Istanbul with its many venues for the Jazz Festival, maybe she should have requested a six-month sabbatical instead of a three-week vacation, she thought.

She went to sleep dreaming about him meeting her on a park bench or calling her on her cell, begging for her forgiveness. Each time, Annie said yes, that she'd never given up on him, but then her dream Auggie would fade away, and she'd be left alone.

She awoke the next morning, the first full day of her "vacation" with a heady mixture of heartbreak and determination in her gut. Nothing, she thought, nothing would keep her away from Auggie if he were in the city. Even if he was still with Natasha, at least she'd go home with an answer, no matter how heart-breaking it was.

* * *

**A/N See what happens when I reboot? The BGC style comes back in full force, and voila, another chapter is born. Thank you ALL for putting up with the reboot. But, as you can see and some have mentioned, this is a BETTER story. Readability is what it's all about, and I refuse to continue to write if my words are boring or don't make sense.**

**Please review! Need to know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Forgot to mention in previous chaps that this story idea - initial and this reboot - are courtesy of awesome writer Epona3, who brought up the topic of, What if Auggie jumped off the train with Natasha? With that one question, my muse soared. Thanks, sweetie! Having so much fun with this story and learning so much about Istanbul.**

**I looked through my Traffic Counts, but see that no one from Turkey is listed as a reader. So, I hope the small bits of Turkish I had to include in the story, courtesy of Google Translate, are accurate. I'd thought of just putting the Turkish in italics, but I didn't like the way it looked.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Her disorienting dream aside, after a hot shower and change of clothes, Annie took a long look in the steamy bathroom mirror as she organized her thoughts. Surely, this was nothing new, she told herself. She was trained to search out people and find them. Even in a bustling tourist-laden city like Istanbul, she'd done this dozens of times in the past.

"But I've never done it completely alone," she whispered to her visage in the mirror.

For a few seconds, Annie allowed the self-doubt that welled up in her to surface, then she took a deep breath, stared herself straight in the eyes, and smiled.

"Who cares?" she asked herself. "Your guy's out there, and you need to find him."

She had 20 days to complete her self-appointed mission, and she refused to give up now. And should she wind up going home empty-handed, at least her resume would be padded with another country and language among her skills.

That thought in mind, Annie gathered up her bag and walked out of Hotel Antrea. Her stomach was craving a pastry and Turkish coffee, so she walked up Peykhane Cadessi to the tram line. For sightseeing and moving around the city, she found the tram service ideal. In addition to providing a wonderful view of the streets, its people, and venues, it also crossed near the university. The addition of the upcoming Jazz Festival aside, her initial piece of intel put him at the university, and that's where she'd start.

An outdoor cafe caught her eye as she hopped off the tram. The smells emanating from it made her mouth water, and she hurried to grab a table. Time to test my Turkish skills, Annie thought. She settled at one of the wooden chairs. The warmth of the day was already starting, but the breezes from the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, she'd noticed yesterday, cooled the air.

She caught the eye of the waiter who was passing by. "_Günaydın_," she said with a smile.

"American?"

Annie's eyes fell a bit, but she gave a small laugh. "Yes. Is my Turkish that obvious?"

The waiter, whose name tag read "Berk," gave a shrug of his thin shoulders. "No," he said in heavily lilted English. "It is your look. Very beautiful, sitting alone. Very independent?"

Annie nodded. "That's one word I've heard to describe me, yes. But thank you. Can I have some coffee, please? And do you have danish?"

Berk smiled and shook his head. "You are here for some time?"

"Yes, three weeks."

"If you want to fit in, then you have tea for breakfast. I'll bring you some."

And with that, Berk walked away, leaving Annie gawking slightly. Then she chuckled to herself. Some cities and countries, she was able to blend in and acclimate easily, but sometimes the tourists are so thick, even the most authentic of accents couldn't hide her background.

A few minutes later, Berk returned with the fragrant tea and a plate of delicacies that made Annie's mouth immediately water. "_Teşekkür ederiz_,_ Berk_" she said.

"Not bad. If you want, I can help you with your Turkish," he said, winking down at her.

Annie froze in mid-sip at Berk's proposition, and any other time, she had to admit, she'd have no qualms about taking this handsome waiter up on his offer. "Thanks, but I have to say no."

"Ah, a boyfriend, then. Is he Turkish, at least?"

Annie shook her head. "No, no boyfriend."

"But there is someone."

Annie's eyes widened at Berk's persistence and almost eerily accurate perception of her trip to Istanbul. Normally, she'd be hesitant to divulge actual information to strangers outside the U.S., but she was on vacation, after all. And only this morning she was bemoaning the fact that she was trying to find one man among millions alone.

She sighed and eventually nodded. "Yes, there is. He's a friend, American. I heard he was at the University here, so I thought maybe I'd look him up while I was on vacation."

"Ah. Well, I am here nearly every morning, if your search for this friend does not end well," Berk said.

Annie picked her tea back up and began to sip it and thought, so much for trying to gain an asset. The ones that hit on you first, she knew, were harder to turn once you refused their first offer. And though Annie had used her gender in the past to get the job done, unless it was a matter of national security or death, she drew the line.

Yesterday's excursion into the city, she only talked with other tourists, so she didn't have much use of her new language skills, but today's encounter with Berk showed that she could be understood, but it was obvious she stood out as a non-native. Maybe, she thought, Auggie stood out, as well. That and his blindness should make him easier to find.

She hurriedly ate her meal and paid for it, waving good-bye to Berk and promised to see him again before she left the country. The cafe was situated immediately to the south of the Istanbul Campus, so she decided to set off north on foot.

* * *

One marriage proposal and half a dozen requests to have food or other activities later, Annie settled on a bench to rest her feet and soak up the midday sun. The forwardness of men outside the U.S. didn't bother her anymore, but what took her by surprise was the fact that some of the advances were from tourists like herself, or students. When in Rome, she guessed, was the local mantra.

She wondered if Auggie, if he were here, had taken up the habit, as well. Then she remembered how much of a flirt he was back home. The girls were probably throwing themselves at him here, as well, she thought.

Unless, of course, he was still with Natasha. She shook her head at that notion. The more she thought about it, if her intel was correct, and he was here at the university, what would Natasha be doing? She couldn't imagine the abrasive Russian settling in to student life or playing housewife if she and Auggie were still together.

The what-ifs were piling up every time Annie thought about Auggie, and she prayed she'd find him soon. All this supposition was eating away at her emotions, and -

Her train of thought got interrupted by a shout, and she turned her head to see a group of people walking along through the campus. They were about 100 feet away, but Annie could hear some of their conversation, so she listened in, trying to catch and understand as much as she could. It was the easiest way to pick up nuances in other languages.

From what she could tell, the group of about a dozen men and three women - all young, but possibly students by their backpacks - were talking about a lecture. Their overlapping voices and the breeze cut off some of their sentences, but Annie thought she heard one of them say something about a computer. She was straining to hear and trying to not look so obvious doing so that she almost missed him.

As such, she nearly suffered a permanent crick in her neck whipping her head around when her eyes spied a white cane amongst the dispersing group. All covertness aside, Annie stared hard at the group that was moving further and further away from the bench where she was sitting. She could have sworn she saw -

There. One of the group, a tall, dark-haired man in board shorts and sandals, waved good-bye to the group and jogged off. The man walking in front of him was walking casually, but his right hand held a white cane with a red tip that he swung back and forth easily in front of him.

Annie's breath held and caught. No, it couldn't be that easy, could it? Nevertheless, she swung her bag over her shoulder and stood. With every step, the dwindling group was getting further and further away, and she had to be sure.

Thankfully, not one of the handful left of the group turned to see the blonde American walking rapidly behind them. With every step, Annie cataloged every inch of the "man with the cane" and mentally compared it to what she remembered of Auggie. The height was correct, as was the way of walking - a confident, rolling stride. He had a shoulder bag slung across his chest, and he wore jeans, a dark t-shirt, and tennis shoes. It was a far cry from the normally well-dressed and put together Auggie Anderson she knew, but that was five years and a lifetime ago.

She settled on his hair, but that, too, was different. The color was the same, but it was longer, the ends almost brushing his shoulders. She had to see his face or hear his voice, and that meant getting closer. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and pretended to use it, increasing the length of her steps towards the group.

Eventually, the last of them went on their way, and the man she purported to be Auggie - the man she'd agonized over for five years and flew across the world for - walked on along the road alone.

Annie didn't know what to do. All of her training and honed instincts flew out the window as her sandal-clad feet walked a dozen paces behind him. Her mind was in a whirl, and she tried to think of what she planned to say if she found him here. Did she think of something to say?

She was so flustered that she momentarily took her eyes off of him, and that was her mistake. Within three seconds, he had stopped and turned and had her stopped. His grip on her upper arms was tight, and he turned them both until she felt the wall of the building they were walking next to at her back.

"_Sen kimsin, ve neden beni takip ediyorsun_?"

That voice - it hadn't changed, though now it was tinged with anger. Nor had his eyes or face. The shaggy hair now fell across it, but the jawline, the warm, brown, sightless eyes. Annie let herself get her fill of looking at him until he roughly shook her shoulders.

" _Sen kimsin? Eğer söylemezsen, ben polisi arıyorum!_"

His anger and the slight sting of pain coursing through her arms shook her out of her reverie, and his words filtered through her brain. He was asking who she was, and she caught the word "police" in there at the end.

"Auggie."

At her voice, the shaking stopped, and his fingers contracted once before easing, though he didn't let go of her completely. "What - who -"

"Auggie, it's me," Annie said, her voice at a near plea. "It's Annie."

He flinched in surprise at her words and her name, and she begged him in her mind to remember her. He gave an audible inhale, and his hands slid up her arms to her shoulders. "God, it is you," he said, in English this time. "Annie Walker."

A flush of joy spread through her as he said her name, and she raised her arms to embrace him, but he dropped his hands from her shoulders abruptly. The surprise and wonder that was evident in his face a few moments ago disappeared, and his voice again took a hard edge. "What are you doing here?"

The happy reunion that Annie had envisioned burst right at that moment, and she had to swallow down the sudden rush of disappointment. In addition to not finding him at all, she had thought through scenarios where he was still with Natasha, or he didn't remember her at all. But this - this anger that he'd never before turned towards her was something she couldn't quite fathom.

"Annie?"

She couldn't tell him, she knew now. How pathetic would she look, how stalker-like if she said she'd been searching for him for five years and flew across the world almost immediately upon learning his location?

"I - umm - well, I'm on vacation for a few weeks," she said hurriedly, grasping at her cover like a lifeline. "I'd never been to Turkey before and wanted to become more fluent in the language."

Saying that to Joan and everyone else seemed so easy a few weeks ago, but even as the words left her mouth, they seemed weak. She risked a look at him as he stood there, tall, defiant, both hands resting on his cane before him.

"Liar."

* * *

**A/N Expecting that? Not expecting that? What do you think?**

**And since this is set Season One canon, I had to include the whole "Liar" quote we all loved from Ep1. Thanks to my sweeties on Twitter for all their live. My writer account there is BethGeekChick, if you want to follow. It's exclusively my fanfic account.**

**About the Turkish, Annie says (I hope) Good Morning and Thank you to Berk in the cafe. Auggie says Who are you and why are you following? and Who are you? If you don't tell me, I'm calling the police."**

**Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

"Auggie, come on," Annie said, half in jest, half in disbelief at his combative attitude.

"Why are you here?" he asked again, slowly, and without a hint of mirth.

Annie swallowed her pride and took a deep breath. She never could lie to Auggie, and she didn't know why she wanted to start now. "Looking for you."

"Why?"

Why? Annie thought, blinking. Why? Did he really think he could just disappear like that and not have people wonder about him?

"Because you - you disappeared, without a word to anyone. Without a note, without a hint of where you were going or what you were doing. Auggie, I -" Her emotions that had built up over the past five years threatened to overwhelm her with every word. "I couldn't believe that you would just leave like that."

Her voice had dropped to a choked whisper by the end of her confession. A hasty swipe at her eyes stilled the tears that she felt start to well up. She risked a look at his face to see if any of her words had broken through to him.

He still stood, resolute and without moving, his hands on top of his cane, but the hardness around his eyes and mouth had softened. A niggle of hope rose in her, and she reached out a hand to touch his atop his cane. He jerked a little as her fingers slid along the back of his hand, but to her relief, he didn't pull away. It'd be pushing her luck to go any further, so she kept her fingers there and didn't move them.

She swallowed quickly and kept on talking, trying to get through to him. "I've been worried about you, Auggie. Worried for you. Everybody -" she said, stressing the word, "everybody thought the worst, that you'd turned against us."

"Everybody but you?"

Annie smiled and chuckled. "I couldn't."

His mouth turned up slightly with a smile, increasing her bubble of hope.

"So you've been looking for me ever since?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Who else?"

"No one. Like I said, everybody thought the worst, and the Agency, well, you know how they are. It was like you never existed."

He nodded. "As it should be."

Annie shook her head and opened her mouth to ask him why when they both heard someone shouting. She looked up to see the tall student that'd been walking with Auggie just a few minutes before striding towards them.

Auggie hastily took a step back and asked in a whisper. "Which hotel?"

"Antea," Annie answered, then schooled her face of all emotion as the young man got closer.

"Profesör Clarke! Profesör Clarke!"

Auggie's head turned in the direction of the shouting, and Annie's followed. The tall student, Turkish, with a white tee and brightly colored board shorts stopped just a few feet away from them. He began talking to Auggie in his native language, and, as far as Annie could follow along, was referring to Auggie as "Professor Clarke." Well, Annie thought, there went all my searching for August Anderson. She wondered whether or not he kept his first name, as well. Auggie and the young man conversed about a lecture and a project's due date, and Annie surmised that Auggie had imbedded himself as a teacher of some sort at the university. She wondered for a moment, then, the identity of the person who'd given her the tip that Auggie was here. Was it one of his students that'd found his true identity?

As Auggie and the student, who he called "Koray," talked, Annie once again saw the man she remembered - affable, joking, kind and intelligent. It was a far cry from the man who'd pushed her up against the wall a few minutes ago, full of anger.

The conversation continued a few more minutes until Koray took notice of her, and Annie nodded her head towards him and gave him a small smile in greeting.

"Güneş ışını bu kim?" he asked.

Auggie turned towards her, as well, and said in English, "This, Koray, is Annie. That is what you said your name was, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's right," Annie replied, playing along with Auggie's game. She owed it to him - at least for now - to pretend that they'd just met.

"Annie here was asking me directions to Seos Cafe for lunch, but she wasn't too keen on counting out the steps to there from here."

Both Auggie and Koray laughed at the joke. Annie felt her heart clutch a little at the memory of his self-deprecating humor all those years ago. It was one of the things she missed most about him.

"Would you mind escorting her?" Auggie asked Koray, who readily smiled at the question.

"Yes. No beautiful woman should be wandering the city alone."

Annie looked from Koray to Auggie, wondering if what was happening was actually happening. Was Auggie pushing her off onto one of his students? "Oh, no, that's not really not necessary," she said, holding her hand up. "I can find my way there."

"Koray was born in this city, Annie. I assure you, he knows the best places to eat."

"But -"

Koray, however, was not to be dissuaded, and he patted Auggie on the back. "No worries. I will escort the lovely Annie to lunch."

He then walked over to Annie and grabbed her hand, placed it in the crook of his elbow, and began to walk down the street. Annie didn't want to cause a scene or out herself or Auggie, but she still couldn't quite believe what he had done. A glance back at him showed that he was standing there, both hands on the top of his cane and his head bowed.

"Tell me, Annie, how long are you in my city?"

* * *

Annie spent the next few hours in the company of Koray who proved to be a font of knowledge about the city and its culture. She also grilled him about the university and his American teacher. She almost felt bad about flirting and feigning actual interest in him to garner information about Auggie, but the whole trip was, at its core, a mission, after all.

Though Koray was more intent on talking about himself and garnering more information about Annie, she was able to steer the conversation toward his professor. She learned that he was going by the name August Clarke and had started teaching at the university three years ago as a lecturer. He was popular among his students for his knowledge and humor. Annie smiled at that. No matter where he went, Auggie's charm never wavered.

In the back of her mind, though, she remembered telling Auggie which hotel she was at. She wondered whether or not he planned on meeting her there or leaving a note as to where they could meet in the future. The notion that he was there, waiting for her, weighed on her, and she gently explained to Koray that she'd been sightseeing all day and wanted to rest at her hotel.

He was disappointed, but gave her his phone number and issued an open-ended invitation to call him if she wanted to see any more of the city. Annie accepted it and thought, if Auggie was meeting her only to tell her off and ban her from his life, at least she had one friend in the city to enjoy the rest of her vacation with.

It took longer than she wanted to get on board the tram and back to Hotel Antea, but soon enough, she was walking up the hotel's street. It seemed, though, that everybody in the neighborhood was strolling along, and she didn't want to cause an uproar running up the street and nudging people aside.

Once she came within view of the beautiful 6-story building, though, she breathed out with relief. Leaning against the wall a few feet from the door stood Auggie.

* * *

**A/N So, what's up with Auggie? Hmmmm.**

**Thanks everyone for their lovely reviews and insistence that I continue and update, update, update! Life's been hella busy as of late, more than usual. Here's hoping that my free time will once again be mine soon.**

**Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a word of review. They completely keep me motivated and the muse happily humming.**

**Note: Koray asks "Who's this ray of sunshine?" to Auggie when he sees Annie. Thanks, Google Translate.**


	5. Chapter 5

Her first instinct was to go up to him, throw her arms around him and never let go of him, lest he fob her off onto another acquaintance, but their newfound status was tentative at best, so she slowed her steps, walked over to him, and mimicked his stance - back against the wall - a few inches away. She watched as he took in her nearness, verifying that it was her - thank god she never changed perfumes - then nodding slightly to himself.

"Who all knows?"

"That I've been looking for you? No one. That I'm in Turkey? Everyone that needed to know."

He took a deep breath, and Annie could almost see the emotions run across his face. For a second, she regretted being here, running him down, and forcing him in this position.

"We need to talk. Is your room here clear?"

She breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't pushing her away, then said, "Yes."

She wondered at his sudden need to relegate their conversation to "spy talk," but she knew enough not to ask questions. It was the middle of the afternoon, and since she arrived just a minute ago, a couple of people had gone in and out of the front door.

Hoping he'd take her lead and trust her, she pushed off the wall and brushed his hand with her arm. The touch sent a long-forgotten zing of goosebumps up her spine, but she pushed it away for now. His hand came up and grasped her elbow, and she led him up the steps and into the building.

Just as she figured, the lobby buzzed with activity from guests checking in and out and staff flurrying around. She walked Auggie around the group and to the elevator. Thankfully, one arrived upon her pushing the button, and she led Auggie in and pushed the door close button so no one could slip in.

Once they were safely ensconced in the rectangular, glass-walled contraption, Annie stood against the wall beside him. "How long were you standing there?"

"A while."

"You could have gone in, waited in the lobby or talked your way into my room," she said,

His head tilted, and by the look on his face, Annie could read his answer. "Don't trust me anymore, huh?"

He shook his head and gave a slight huff of frustration. "Just wait until we get in your room, then we'll talk."

"Okay."

For the next few seconds, Annie took in his appearance, mirrored in the wall across from them. Her shock at seeing him hours ago didn't allow such a perusal, so she took it now. His body was the same, muscular, slightly tanned. She always did prefer him in casual clothes than a suit. His hair he'd let grow, and the waves nearly hit his collar now. He wore no jewelry, including, she noted as she looked down at his hands - no rings. Not even a tan line or ridge where a ring would have been. Not everybody in a relationship got married, she knew, but it answered another question.

The elevator shuddered to a stop, and the doors dinged open. She again brushed against his wrist, and then led him down to her room. Though small, as all hotel rooms come nowadays unless you pay through the nose, its design was opulent. She opened up the door and led him inside, letting it shut behind them.

The freshly made bed filled the majority of the space, and Annie moved him around it to the deep purple velvet seated chair that stood in the corner. Once he was seated, she took the only other place in the room and sat cross-legged on the corner of the bed after kicking off her shoes.

A few seconds of silence elapsed between them, and Annie wondered if he expected her to start, or was he gearing up to speak first? Eventually, the build-up of tension got to her. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

Well, Annie thought, this is going nowhere. She decided to just dive in and see how far her confession would get her.

"What I said before is true. No one knows I'm here looking for you. No one knows I've been looking for you for five years. Hell, I doubt if you ask anyone in the DPD nowadays, they wouldn't recognize your name."

He nodded and began unhitch his cane and fold it up. To Annie, it was a good sign that he planned on staying for a while.

"When we couldn't find you on that train, it was obvious that you'd jumped off with Natasha." She choked out the girl's name, wanting so badly to ask him, point-blank, if she was here, too, and perhaps at his home, waiting to feed him dinner. "Everyone - the FBI, the CIA - immediately labeled both of you traitors. I know, even though you'd left the chip behind, they wanted her, as well."

He nodded again, and Annie starting growing frustrated that he refused to speak. "So, the FBI got mad at us, and the CIA had to eat crow, so to speak. They gave an apology, a statement, and you've been listed as MIA ever since. Though, in my opinion, MIA means someone's still looking for you. I doubt they even made an effort."

"You were still looking for me."

Her head jerked up at his words, and she smiled. "It never occurred me to stop," she said truthfully.

"I've thought about you over the years," he said.

"Have you?"

He nodded. "Wondered about you, if you stayed with the agency or left. If you were alive or dead."

"So you haven't talked to anyone there since?"

He shook his head. "No."

Annie sighed and went over to her in-room refrigerator to grab a water. She resumed her perch on the bed and took a big drink. "Auggie, you don't have to tell me anything, but the reason I came here, truly, is to see that you were okay, that you were still alive, and I guess, happy with whatever you decided to do with your life."

"And to ask me to come back," he replied.

"What?" Annie asked.

"You're here because you want me to come back."

Annie's eyes opened wide, "No, no, I'm not. Why would you think that?"

His head tilted to the side, and his eyes narrowed in thought. "Why else?"

"Because I missed you, damn it!" Annie said in complete frustration that bordered on anger. "Because I didn't want to see the legacy of August Anderson, Special Forces hero and CIA prodigy, relegated to a classified folder!"

Five years of searching, dozens of false leads, and days, weeks, months of holding her head high when others attempted to talk smack about Auggie, and it'd all come down to this - the man she'd dedicated the last hunk of her life to accusing her of being nothing but a CIA go-between to drag him back to the agency.

"Do you know how hard it was for me after you left? You were my rock, Auggie! And suddenly, poof, you're gone, and I had no one I could count on to watch my back, help me out when I'd screwed up or congratulate me and mean it when I'd done right?"

By this time, she'd worked herself up so much that she had hopped off the bed and was pacing the floor in front of him.

"After I'd asked one too many times about you, if they'd found you, I was ordered - ordered, Auggie - to forget you, or else I'd be relegated to translating a mountain of decades-old, typewritten documents from the Cold War."

The memory of that day almost made her smile, 'cause it marked the true beginning of her Auggie search. "My relationship with Danielle at that point had deteriorated, anyway, 'cause if I wasn't on a plane or in another country, I was holed up in my bedroom, looking for you. She eventually kicked me out, on some made-up excuse that they wanted to sell the house, and they couldn't with me hanging on.

By that point, I'd had a safe house set up for myself, and I just moved there. It was off the grid from the agency, from my family, everyone. There I've been for the past few years, Auggie, looking for you. About a month ago, I got a text that said 'Istanbul Uni.' So, I booked a flight, applied for vacation, told them I wanted to learn the language, and flew out here."

She grabbed up the bottle of water from the bed and drained it, her anger slowly draining with every gulp. "But now that I see you're here, you're safe, got a job and everything, I guess I can just mark this personal mission as completed and get back to being a tourist, do some shopping, and hit the jazz festival before I head home."

She dropped down on the bed and took a deep breath. Nothing, she thought, all for nothing. Finding him dead would only be the worse than what she was feeling now. Out of every scenario she'd mused about over the years, a disbelieving, skeptical Auggie wasn't one of them.

"So you're hitting up the festival?"

"Yeah," she answered, not bothering to look up at him.

"If you want, I can take you to a couple of the venues. I know a couple of the promoters."

She'd been rolling the empty water bottle in her hands as he spoke, but even without looking, she could tell his demeanor had changed. It was the voice of old Auggie - the one she remembered. She strained to stop herself from looking up, but in the end, she couldn't help but do so. Five minutes of frustration had nothing on five years of hope.

The slight gasp that emanated from her mouth couldn't be stifled, and she worked to stifle it quickly. The Auggie sitting across from her - only a couple feet away, really - was the same man who'd sat across from her at a table at Allen's, sipping a beer and regaling each other with tales from the field or office.

She had to take a deep breath to settle her emotions before replying, "If you wouldn't mind, yeah, I'd like that."

He stood then, his eyes soft and without the accusatory hesitation they'd been filled with since they met this afternoon. HIs hand then turned and reached out slightly toward her. The petulant, still angry part of her wanted to scoff and walk away, but she pushed it away and buried it deep within her.

The hopeful part of her, the one that she'd been relying on all this time to keep her pushing when all she could think of was giving up, stood up from the bed. Her hand reached out and slipped into his. They both took a step forward from that touch.

Her nerves and emotions were still too raw to do anything else, so she felt almost grateful that it was his hand that pulled their clenched ones together until they were toe-to-toe. It was then that she gave a sigh of relief and allowed herself to be enfolded in his arms.

* * *

**A/N Phew. So, Auggie no longer thinks Annie's motivation is sinister, but he still hasn't opened up about why he left or what he's been doing. Annie's got three weeks there. What's gonna happen?**

**Please review! Thanks.**

**And sorry, seezee. No bouncy-bouncy this time. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

Though she wanted to stay there forever, safely ensconced in his loose embrace, she remembered that though she'd spilled out her life for the last five years, he'd yet to return the favor. With a soft pat on his back, she pulled herself away and returned to her perch on the corner of her bed.

When he'd done the same on the velvet-covered chair, she said, "So, Professor Clarke, huh?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to answer with more than one-word answers the rest of the day?"

"Yep."

His lips were turned up in a grin, which slightly annoyed her, but she continued on. "You've been working at the university for three years as a lecturer."

"Yep."

Her eyes narrowed, but then she thought, okay, he wants to play, she'll play. She's been trained by the best interrogator in the world, Joan Campbell, and knew what questions to ask and what buttons to push.

"You changed your name and identity so no one could find you."

"That's usually why one changes their name, but yes."

Annie scooted back on the bed and pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them as she contemplated how she was going to play this. "If you've only been in Turkey for three years, you were traveling prior to then?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

A flicker in his eyes gave him away, but it didn't matter, 'cause he answered, "No."

"With friends?"

"Yes."

"Just the one, or did you pick up more on your cross-country trek?"

"No one else."

Annie nodded. "Is this friend here, as well?" She refused to ask, point blank, about Natasha.

He didn't answer for a minute, and Annie couldn't read one emotion that passed over his face. Joan must have trained him well, also. Finally, he said, "I take it you don't know, or else you wouldn't be dancing around the subject. But no, Natasha is not here. I haven't seen her in three years."

Annie wouldn't express it out loud, but inwardly, she felt a rush of relief. Instead, she caught onto the first thing he said. "I don't know what?"

"Huh. I would have thought the FBI would have rubbed it in the CIA's face, but Natasha turned herself in."

The audible gasp Annie couldn't control, and she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. "When?"

"About 18 months after we jumped off the train."

"But if she - why did - then why didn't you -" She stopped babbling, 'cause about a dozen questions were rushing to the front of her mind.

"Which one do you want me to answer first?" he asked with a laugh.

"Auggie," she said with a huff of frustration. "Just tell me, what happened?"

He sighed and began to flip his folded cane around in his hands. "Okay, okay. I jumped with Natasha off that train because I loved her. It killed me when I let her go the first time, and meeting her again, I felt like I had the chance to make it up to her. All I could think about was the fact that she spent years in prison because of me. We traveled - I'm not going to tell you where or what we did - but we were happy, for a time."

At that point, his voice trailed off, and his head hung down.

"What happened, Auggie?"

"We kept tabs on the search for us, and though you say the CIA never looked for me, or the FBI for Natasha, believe me when I tell you they did. At the time, it was exciting, I won't lie. But then -"

"But then?" Annie prompted.

"I don't know. Truthfully, I have no idea. Tash began withdrawing, and one day, I woke up to find her gone. She left me a message that said she was sorry for dragging me into her mess, and in all the time we spent together, some of my 'goodness' rubbed off on her, and that she was catching a plane to the States to turn herself in."

"Oh, wow," Annie breathed.

"Exactly what I thought at the time. Of course, I tried to find her, find what airline she'd contacted, where she was going, but one thing Tash knows is how to disappear. The next thing I knew or heard, the news came down that she had, indeed, been taken into custody."

Annie's mind was buzzing by now. How could she not have heard this, at least a hint of this? Yes, by that point, all mention or thought of Auggie Anderson had been stricken from CIA HQ, but she was sure the FBI would be rubbing it in their faces that they'd found their girl.

"I didn't know," she confessed. "I assumed you were still together."

"Yeah, I caught that," Auggie replied. "And before you ask, no, I didn't want to follow her footsteps and fly back home. By that point, I figured my actions had cut all ties with any friends or family or work colleagues. So I decided to settle here and make a life for myself. The people are friendly, the music is great, and the university is awesome."

"And you haven't contacted anyone back in the States since?" she asked.

"No."

They were back to the one-word answers, she thought. "Not even me?"

His head jerked up at that. "Especially not you, Annie. You were just starting there. I couldn't ruin your career by pulling you into my mess. But I guess all that's a moot point now, huh? Here we are."

"Yeah, here we are," Annie said. "You know, I was telling the truth when I said nobody knows the real reason why I'm here."

"I know you were. I'm sorry for not believing you, but I had to be sure. Too much time has passed."

"That doesn't matter," Annie said, waving it off with a hand. "What I'm saying is, we could hang out, if you want, just to catch up. I've got three weeks to kill."

"Want me to show you the sights? Metaphorically speaking?"

Annie laughed aloud at that. "Whenever you're not busy. I'd love it."

"No shop talk?"

"Scout's honor."

"Do you have three fingers held up?"

"Oh, I thought it was two fingers. Yes, three fingers, Scout's honor."

"It's a deal, Annie Walker. I'd be honored to show you my city."

* * *

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

After giving his promise to serve as tour guide to Annie, Auggie began reassembling his cane and stood up.

Annie started. "Oh, did you want to start now?" she asked. The long morning of searching, the emotional reunion, afternoon spent interrogating Koray, and another emotional charge of just now left Annie nearly exhausted.

Auggie chuckled, then shook his head. "No, sorry. I've got some things to take care of. Classes end this week, so after then?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Annie said quickly with a laugh. "I guess I did jump into your life here, huh?"

"Quite literally, Miss Walker. Do you have a number I can have?"

"Yep." She dug her "Auggie" phone out of her purse. Given that it was a generic throwaway, she'd never memorized it. She read the numbers off to Auggie, who inputted them into his own. Curious, she looked at the last text she got that brought her all the way here - "Istanbul Uni." She never had looked any further into the call to see who had seen it.

For a few seconds, her finger hovered over the message, poised to open it for more information, but she quickly clicked the phone off and slid it back into her bag. "Guess I'll be waiting for your call, huh?"

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, of course not," she answered, though to her ears, it sounded false, and it made her wince. "I don't know. It's just kind of surreal that, after years of searching, I'd come to a city and, boom, find you within 24 hours. Kind of boggles my mind.."

"It's definitely not what I expected to be doing this afternoon, either," Auggie admitted. His cane now out in front of him, he stood and took a step toward her. "I know I came across harsh at first, but I am glad you came here, Annie."

"So am I." She mirrored his movements and placed a hand on his arm. "See you around?"

He nodded. "Walk me out?"

* * *

After walking Auggie to the front entrance and giving him a hug good-bye, Annie retreated back to her room and fell lengthwise onto her bed. Her mind swirled with a heady mix of exhaustion and adrenaline, and she forced a few deep breaths to gather her thoughts.

2 days into a 21-day mission, and she was done. Mission accomplished. Auggie found, healthy, alive, happy, and without Natasha. In the past, short missions always made her smile, 'cause it meant she'd be going home soon. Now, though, she felt no compunction to leave. In fact, she had to stop herself from following Auggie as he left to scope out where he lived or what he did.

That idea was squelched as she remembered earlier in the day when he'd caught so quickly onto the fact that she was following him. Even out of the game for five years, Auggie Anderson's instincts were still razor sharp.

She turned over on the bed, kicked off her shoes, and tucked her arm under her head. What was her agenda now, she thought? She'd agreed readily to Auggie's offer of friendship and tour guide and handed over her phone number with no second thoughts, but he'd given her nothing in terms of his own information. No phone number, no hint of where he lived or if he lived alone or -

Annie groaned and shut her eyes. Some operative she was. No wonder the agency frowned on them working on personal cases. What if Auggie were married or involved with someone else? Neither he nor Koray mentioned it, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone.

"Just stop it, Annie," she told herself out loud. "You haven't seen the man in five years, and before then, you only knew each other for a few months. Be glad he didn't send you packing or arrested for stalking."

She chuckled at herself and pulled herself off of the bed. A long shower would help soothe her thoughts and body, and then she'd get something to eat and hit the streets. There was no use in hanging around the hotel, waiting for Auggie to call, when an exotic city lay outside. Her new plan set in mind, she jumped off the bed and set to work.

* * *

Several hours later, Annie walked slowly through the darkened street back toward her hotel. Her body was exhausted, and her feet were screaming with every step, but she didn't mind one bit. Without the mindset of a mission, she almost felt like a tourist again - something she hadn't been since she joined the CIA.

Another pleasure she indulged in was filling several micro SD cards with her digital camera - something that was almost impossible to do while on the job, despite her yearnings to do so. The agency frowned on personal devices while on the job, and she knew she'd never get away with using the tech department's "toys" to take touristy photos of buildings, people, and sunsets.

Once inside her hotel room, she flipped on the light, climbed up on her bed to stretch her legs out, and settled in to go through her photos. She already had quite a collection dating back to when she was a teenager and began appreciating the different locales her father's military career took the family. One of these days, she knew, she'd have to decide what to do with all of them.

A half hour into filtering through them, deleting ones that were out of focus or duplicates, she heard her "Auggie" phone ring. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was close to 9:00 p.m. It could either be Auggie himself, or another tip from one of her contacts about his whereabouts, though most of them had come in through text messages.

It rang again, and she set her camera aside to answer it. "Hello?"

"İyi akşamlar, Annie."

Auggie's voice brought a smile to her face. "Good evening to you, too. I didn't expect you to call so soon," she admitted.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, not at all. I spent the rest of the day exploring the city and was just going through some pictures I took."

"Mm, you sound tired."

"It's a large city. I think I overdid it. My feet may never forgive me."

He laughed. "You may need your entire three weeks to visit everything."

"That's true. Not to mention the jazz festival. It starts soon, right?"

"Yep, and that's why I'm calling. The first venue is slated for this weekend, if you're free?"

A little thrill went through Annie at his question. "You want me to join you?" she asked.

"I did promise to show you my city."

"I know, but I don't want you to go out of your way just for me."

"Annie -"

She heard him half-sigh, half-huff over the line, so she said quickly, before he changed his mind, "I'd love to go with you."

"Good. Great. I'll call you later with the details."

"I look forward to it," she said, fighting a yawn.

"Get some sleep, Annie. It's been a long day."

"Tatlı rüyalar, Auggie."

"Not hard to do in paradise. Tatlı rüyalar, Annie."

She hung up and, allowing the full yawn to stretch her jaw, decided to take Auggie's advice. The day was long, full of reunions, new acquaintances, and good food. All in all, she thought, a success.

* * *

**A/N Sorry for the delay. Very busy as of late, but haven't forgotten our couple in Istanbul. I'm not blocked, story wise. In fact, I've got the whole thing pretty much in mind. Just need time to write and plot, which isn't much as of late.**

**Thanks for hanging int here, and please review. What do you think A&A should get up to in this beautiful city? :)**


	8. Chapter 8

The shopkeeper stood hard and firm on the listed price of his jewelry, but Annie refused to give in and give up her lira for what she knew was an inflated price. She shook her head and slid the exquisite handcrafted necklace back onto the hanger with the other pieces.

Her day in the Grand Bazaar was both thrilling and mind-boggling at the same time, and she was loving every minute of it. When she was younger and traveling, she never really had the money to indulge in a lot of shopping, but now that she had a steady job and time on her hands, she was more than making up for it.

She turned to walk out into the main thoroughfare when the shopkeeper stopped her.

"Wait," he said in heavily accented English. They'd been conversing the entire time in Turkish - Annie was quite proud of herself for picking up the language so easily - so his use of English stopped her in her tracks.

Turning her head around, she saw him with the necklace in hand. "For what you offer, please."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked.

He nodded, "My beautiful American lady price."

Annie giggled at his not-so-bashful flirting and pulled out her wallet to count out the lira. He wrapped it up for her, and she placed it in her bag half-full already with purchases. The bag itself was her first purchase, actually, and it was serving its purpose marvelously.

She was glad he agreed with her on the price 'cause it was for Joan and perfect for her. So far, amongst her many purchases, she'd bought trinkets for everyone she cared about, except for Auggie. Given that he lived here now, she doubted he'd appreciate a "I walked all over Istanbul" t-shirt, no matter how cute she thought it was.

A small vendor with colorful scarves caught her eye, and she was heading towards it when her cell phone rang. It wasn't her Auggie phone, and she groaned. "God, please don't be work," she prayed quietly to herself. There was no way she could be talked into a "small mission" ever again, though Joan was the most persuasive of people she'd ever met.

She found a small bench and took out her phone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Danielle's name on the readout.

"Hey, Danielle," she said.

"Annie! Finally, I caught you."

"Have you been calling? Because -"

"No, not this phone, 'cause you said you usually use it for work. I've been sending e-mails and calling your home phone at your new place. Where are you, by the way?"

Annie smiled. "Istanbul."

"Oh. Work, right? I knew I shouldn't have called this number, but -"

"No, no work," Annie interrupted. "I'm actually on vacation, if you can believe it."

"Well, if you say it, I believe it. How's the food there?"

"Divine. I'm shopping now, actually, in the biggest mall in the world."

"Ooh, remind me to hate you later. Only to be forgiven by a gift-wrapped package upon your return."

"Done and done. The girls, too."

"Thanks."

"So, other than scamming free gifts off of me, what's up?" Annie asked.

"Oh, right. I have news. The house sold!"

Annie opened her mouth to ask what house before she clapped it shut, the memory of a handful of e-mails from Danielle that'd gone unread over the past few weeks. Her Auggie search had consumed her since she received that first text message.

"Oh, wow, congratulations!"

"Yeah, I know, it's been months now since we put the thing on the market. Anyway, I'm calling 'cause the buyers want to move in as soon as possible, and I've still got a couple of boxes of your stuff in the apartment, so -"

"Oh, yeah. I meant to grab that stuff before I left for vacation. Would you mind putting it storage for me?" she asked. "Just send the keys to that PO Box I've got, okay?"

"Sounds good, though it will cost you an extra trinket from Istanbul."

Annie laughed. "Fine. And Danielle, I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Annie. I'll let you get back to your shopping. Call me when you get home, okay?"

"Of course. Bye."

She hung up her phone and sat back on the bench. Danielle was leaving, would probably be completely gone by the time she got home. It wasn't like she'd never see her sister and her family again, but for years now, Annie had always thought of Danielle and her comfortable home as her safe haven. Even though sometimes it'd be months between visits, her sister was always there.

She really was alone now, she thought. No real home, except for a safe house that she could never really think of a permanent resident, no close family now. And though she'd found Auggie again, it seemed he was comfortable in his new life here.

She sighed, long and loud, and felt suddenly bone-tired. God, she thought. On the good side of her 30s, and she had a feeling a mid-life crisis was looming. Only an operative for five years, and she was tired of it. What happened to that go-getter who ran through a hail of bullets her first day at work, she thought. Who knew?

A waft of breeze brought the smell of food to her nose, and she decided to forgo any more bazaar-hopping and fill her stomach. Maybe sustenance would improve her mood. Heaven knew her appetite for shopping had passed.

* * *

The next day, she stood at the door of Auggie's apartment, having been invited by him last night to meet him at his apartment a few hours before their "date" at the jazz festival to eat, have a drink, and hang out. Having been given nothing but his cell number the entire week she'd been in country, Annie counted it as a step in the right direction at trust and friendship rebuilding.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the black, wood-hewn door. The building itself was only accessible by narrow streets that a car wouldn't fit through, and Annie almost felt like she'd walked into a different time, far away from the high rises and modern amenities of the city.

Footsteps sounded from inside, and she took a step back to wait for the door to open. When it did, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said to the man who stood on the door step, one hand on the door and the other on the jamb. "I was looking for Auggie. I must have gotten his apartment number wrong. Sorry to bother you."

She took a few steps away and pulled out her notebook to recheck the address she'd written down.

"Annie?"

She looked up to see the man who'd answered the door - tall, blonde, and around her age - still standing there.

"Yes?"

"You're at the right place. Auggie said to be expecting you. Come in."

He beckoned with his hand, then turned and walked back into the apartment. At first, Annie was hesitant to follow a stranger, but the address was correct, and the man did know her name. She decided to throw caution to the wind and walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"Come on through," came a shout from within.

The door opened up to a hall, white walls and rough wood floors. Annie wondered at its history. Then, as she came through the hallway, she saw that it opened into a wide room that resembled, to her delight, Auggie's old apartment back in Washington. Simple furniture, masculine design, and impeccably neat.

The man stood at the other end of the room which looked to be a kitchen area.

"Go ahead and have a seat. I'll grab you a drink."

"I'm sorry," Annie said, taking one small step into the room. "Who are you?"

He laughed and turned around, wiping his hands on a towel. "No, I guess I'm the one who should be sorry. Assumed Auggie told you about me. Name's Brady Donan."

He walked towards her, his hand outstretched, and Annie met him halfway across the room to shake hands. "Nice to meet you, Brady. I'm Annie -"

"Walker, I know. Auggie's told me all about you. Go on, have a seat. You take a Heineken?" he asked, heading back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure," Annie said. She sat on the couch, keeping a wary eye on her host. All of her spy instincts were kicking in by habit, though she doubted Auggie would set her up with a stranger.

Brady then came over, two Heineken bottles in hand. He handed her one and sat down on the other end of the couch. "You can stop with the stink eye. Auggie's running a bit late. He called and said to let you in, give you a drink, and be nice. So, salud," he said, raising his bottle to her.

Annie laughed as the tension in the room cracked, and she raised her own bottle to him, and they took a large drink. Feeling more settled and at ease, Annie settled back into the couch. "So, Brady, since you know so much about me, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

He shrugged. "Not much to tell. Like Auggie, I'm an ex-pat from the U.S. Work on the music scene in the city here. Been busy with the festival coming up, you know."

"You work with the festival? How exciting. You know, I hadn't even realized the festival was going on until I got here."

"Yeah, I guess the local attractions were the last things on your mind when you booked your trip, huh?" he asked, a smile playing around his lips.

"Excuse me?" Annie said.

Brady shook his head and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and the bottle in his hands between them. "I've known Auggie for a long, long time. Suffice to say I know Clarke is not his real last name. When he showed up in the city a few years ago, I was happy to see him and help him out. He wasn't in the best frame of mind, and I knew enough not to ask questions. Whatever his problems, he had to work them out himself. He had mentioned one girl. What was her name, Natalie or something?"

"Natasha," Annie provided.

"Yeah, right. But he didn't talk much about her beyond the first few times. But there was another woman he mentioned every now and then."

Brady paused then and took a long drink.

"Me?"

"Yep," Brady said. "Got it in one. I don't even think he knew how often he mentioned you, but it struck me that Annie Walker must be a hell of a woman."

"You checked up on me, didn't you?" Annie asked.

"We've got each other's backs, yeah, but finding information on you? For a while, I thought that maybe the great Annie Walker was a figment of his imagination. But he finally let on one time that you'd 'worked' together," he said, placing his fingers in quotation marks.

"So you know?"

"In general, yes. I don't ask for specifics, and he didn't offer. So yeah, I know."

"You sent me the text, didn't you?"

"Yep. Don't ask how I got the number or how I found out. Suffice to say, I heard you were asking about him, looking for him. I figured, if you were in earnest, you'd come. If not, hey, it's an anonymous text message out there in the ether."

Annie nodded. "You know, I never looked up the number that text came from."

"Wouldn't have found anything."

"Then I'm glad I didn't waste the time doing so."

Brady looked over at her and smiled. "You'll do, Annie Walker. And if my ears don't deceive me, that's Auggie approaching the door right now."

Annie heard the tap-tap of Auggie's cane just outside the door, as well, and stood to go greet him.

"No, wait," Brady said, holding out a hand to stop her. "Why don't we mess with him, pretend you came, I pissed you off, and you left?"

The same humorous glint that Annie often saw in Auggie's eyes was apparent in Brady's, and Annie shook her head with a smile. "He'll know I'm here."

The door opened, but Annie went ahead with Brady's idea and stood stock still. Auggie walked in, cane in one hand, shopping bag in the other. He looked out of breath, but as handsome as ever. Though she loved a man in a well-fitted suit, there was something to say about a good-looking man in low-slung jeans and a tight t-shirt.

"Hey, Brady, man, sorry I'm late. The line at the store was -"

He stopped talking and angled his head in Annie's direction. "Hey, you made it. Have trouble finding the apartment?"

"None at all," Annie replied, then to Brady, she said, "Told ya."

She walked over to Auggie and gave him a hug.

"Who told who what?" Auggie asked.

"Brady was sure you wouldn't be able to tell I was in the room."

"Was he nice?"

"The perfect host," Annie answered.

Auggie's eyes narrowed a bit at that, but he shrugged and said, "She's never changed her perfume. If you didn't OD on your own cologne, you'd be able to tell that."

"Whatever," Brady said. He took the bag off of Auggie, and together they went to the kitchen area. It looked as if they were preparing supper, so Annie took a seat back on the couch with her Heineken.

It gave her a sense of satisfaction and relief that Auggie was in good hands here, and should she return home alone, she'd do so with a clear mind.


	9. Chapter 9

After a delicious homemade meal that to Annie's surprise was distinctly American-based, the three of them caught the local bus to the park. It was a little under an hour before the concert started, and the crowd was thin. Brady led them to the stage where a couple dozen people were hurrying around setting up equipment.

"Don't forget my recording, Brady," Auggie said.

"I won't, I won't. Why don't you guys settle down over there?" he said, pointing over to a bench off to the side. It was under a tree and almost perfectly situated between the seating for the crowds and the hubbub of the stage.

Annie looked over to where he pointed and nodded. "Good luck, Brady."

She and Auggie walked over to the wooden bench and sat down "I didn't look up who's performing. Do you know who they are?" she asked.

"The main performer is John Batiste, and there's some young performers from the Young Jazz Competition. Should be an interesting night," he replied as they sat down.

"So, how long have you and Brady lived in that apartment?"

"I'm not sure when Brady moved in, but I've been there since I arrived," Auggie replied with a smile. "He's an old friend I looked up once I got into the city. Never would've made it without him."

Annie nodded. "How do you handle - I mean, what do you do when you have visitors?" she asked.

Auggie's eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "What, visitors-visitors or the special kind of visitors?"

"Special ones," Annie said with a grin.

He laughed. "Separate bedrooms, and Brady's had a girl on and off for a while, and when it's on, he usually stays at her place."

He didn't say anything about himself, and Annie decided not to push the issue. "So, Brady said you told him about me."

"He did, huh?"

"Yeah, and don't be mad, but he's the one who sent me the text message."

Auggie chuckled. "I figured he was the one. Only one in country who knows about Auggie Anderson. He found you, huh? Got more skills than I gave him credit for."

"I think he was just worried about you," Annie said.

"Why would he be worried?"

"I don't know. Why else would he reach out to me and bring me here? He didn't say when he found me, but I've been looking for years."

Auggie shook his head. "You'd have to ask him that, but however it happened, I am happy you're here."

"I'm happy to be here."

They settled into a silence then, and after a few minutes, Auggie slid his arm around her shoulders. Annie slid over a few inches for comfort and rested her head on his shoulder. The discordant music of sound check started up. Coupled with the warmth and strength of Auggie's embrace and slightly cooling breeze that the sunset was providing, Annie took a deep breath and shut her eyes. She hadn't felt this at ease and comfortable in a very long time.

* * *

A little while later, she heard the approach of footsteps, but didn't want to give up the heaven that she was experiencing by opening her eyes.

"Shh, I think she's asleep," Auggie said in a low voice.

"You good? Not too loud? Or echoing?"

"Nope, it's good. Just make sure the recording's on point, and I'll be happy."

"You got it." Then a few seconds later, "So this is the Annie Walker you've been telling me about. Any reason why you didn't mention that she was a total hottie?"

Annie nearly giggled at Brady's apprisal of her looks, but kept herself still.

"'Cause if you ever met her, I didn't want you to assume anything. You were nice to her, weren't you?"

"Yes, Aug, I was. As much as you've talked about her over the years, I wouldn't be that big of a dick."

"Good, 'cause she's here for another couple of weeks, and I want her to enjoy herself."

"Gonna show her the sights?"

Brady chuckled at his own joke, and Auggie did, as well, the low rumble sounding under Annie's ear.

"Yeah. Not sure what all she's been through over the last five years since I saw her last, but I know what that job does to a person. She needs to decompress and relax."

Annie heard somebody shout out Brady's name, and he trotted off.

Another silent minute later, Auggie said, "I know you're not sleeping."

"Never said I was," Annie replied. She didn't move from her position, but went ahead and opened her eyes. The time had passed faster than she assumed, and crowds had gathered in front of the stage. The light had changed with the setting sun, and the stage lights lit up the park.

"You know, you don't have to spend all your free time showing me around," she said, shifting a bit to look up at his face.

"I know."

"I mean, if it's going to impede on any of your plans."

She didn't want to out-and-out ask if he had a girlfriend. And that was partly because she didn't want to intrude, and partly the fact that her heart and soul were enjoying this time alone with him, and she didn't want it to end.

He shifted and raised his arm from her shoulders, stretching both arms over his head before leaning his forearms on his thighs. After a few seconds, he looked over at her and said, "If you're asking about my general plans, they were to attend as many of these concerts as possible. And if you're asking whether or not I'd have been alone doing so, I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, so I would have been alone."

Even after all these years, he could still read her intentions, and Annie half-smiled at the thought. "Okay."

He took a deep breath and turned his head toward the stage. "How about you? Anyone missing you now?"

Annie immediately thought back to Hank and his invite only a minute after she'd gotten the text she now knew was from Brady that Auggie was in Istanbul. "Nothing serious," she said with a shrug.

"What's his name?" he asked quickly.

"It's nothing, Auggie. He's a coworker. We hook up whenever we're both in town, is all."

"Huh."

That noncommital response rankled Annie. "What's that mean?" she asked.

"Nothing, Annie."

She shook her head. "I seem to recall your reputation back in the day. You're the last person I would expect passing judgment on me."

"Everybody changes, Annie."

He said it with such an air of resignation that it left Annie speechless for a few minutes. The crowd began to applaud, and she saw that John Batiste and his band had taken the stage. He spoke a few words, and the music swelled as he began to play.

The loudness made regular conversation impossible, so Annie leaned back to enjoy the concert. After a minute, Auggie did, as well, reaching over to grab Annie's hand. She felt the air between them shift subtly as his palm slid over hers and their fingers threaded together.


	10. Chapter 10

"It'll only take me a minute, Auggie, promise," Annie said.

"Right, sure. So says every woman about to change clothes," Auggie replied.

She shook her head, but kept a firm grip on his arm as she led him into Hotel Antea's lobby. They'd spent nearly every day for the past week and a half together, and she couldn't remember enjoying herself so much on a trip before. After the initial jazz night, he'd kept his promise of showing her "his" Istanbul, and it far surpassed anything Annie had imagined.

Now they were on their way to a night club, which Auggie promised didn't have a dress code, but Annie refused to attend wearing sandals and cargo shorts. He had on a jeans and a grey henley shirt, but it didn't matter. Auggie could walk in anywhere and look hot wearing a potato sack, as long as he smiled and winked while he did it. So with the promise of taking less than five minutes to slip on a dress and some heels, Annie dragged him back to her hotel.

They were halfway across the lobby heading towards the elevator when she heard her name being called.

"Annie!"

Automatically, she turned her head to the sound and came to an abrupt halt, making Auggie stumble slightly beside her.

"Annie, what the heck?" he said with a laugh. "A little consideration for the blind guy here."

"Auggie, shh."

Thankfully, he understood her tone and quieted.

"Annie!"

To her horror and surprise, Annie watched with widened eyes and her heart in her throat as Hank, her go-to boyfriend and convenient hook-up that she'd last spoken to a month ago, jumped up from one of the armchairs that lined the lobby and walked toward her, a huge smile on his face.

Tall and muscled, his long legs reached her in a few seconds, and Annie suddenly found herself pulled away from Auggie and caught up in a bear hug as Hank swung her in a circle and kissed her square on the mouth.

Granted, it was normal for him to greet her as such, but that was then, back in the United States, before Annie's life turned upside down with the reintroduction of Auggie into her life. That fact alone made Annie's body stiff in his embrace and her lips refusing to respond to his kisses.

The coldness of her response had Hank pulling back after half a minute, confusion and sheepiness in his eyes. Annie pushed against his shoulders, and he let her down onto the floor. "Sorry, sweetness."

"Yeah, I'd accept that apology if you weren't smiling right now," Annie said with a chuckle. Hank's passionate nature coupled with his good looks and imposing stature drew her to him at the agency, and he always could make her smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Umm - surprise?"

Annie shook her head and motioned for him to continue.

"Okay, okay. I had a break and decided to take a week off for vacation, remembered where you said you were spending some time, and -"

"Yeah, yeah," Annie said, waving off his explanation. "I just wish you had called. I mean, it's not that I'm not glad to see you, it's just that -"

At that point, Auggie stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"It sounds as if you two have a lot of catching up to do. I'll see you later, Annie."

"Are you sure, A-" Annie caught herself just as she was about to call out his name, but it didn't matter. He stepped quickly away from the both of them, and exited the lobby in a few seconds.

She stared at the empty swinging doors for a few seconds before sighing and turning back to Hank. He, also, was staring at the place where Auggie left, a little too hard for Annie's tastes.

"Hey," she said, grabbing both of his hands in hers. "Come on up to my room. We can catch up."

He didn't say anything, only nodded.

The hard look in his eyes didn't dissipate all through the ride up in the elevator, and only until her hotel room door closed did he say anything.

"Annie, who was that guy?"

"What guy?"

"Really? You're trying to talk around a fellow operative?"

Annie dropped hard on the bed, all the good mood from the day and surprise and happiness at seeing Hank again dissipating quickly and leaving only frustration and anger.

"And you're trying to get me to respond to a question you apparently already know the answer to," she countered, crossing her arms across her chest.

Hank crossed the room to join her on the bed, but thought better of it and sat on the chair in the corner - the same chair that, two weeks ago, Auggie sat in. It didn't go unnoticed by Annie.

"Okay, this is not how I saw this reunion going, but I guess I have to play the cards I've been given here. He's August Anderson, right?"

Annie closed her eyes, wondering for a few seconds how well she could get away with lying. When she opened her eyes to look at him, she knew she couldn't. With a prayer to Auggie that he'd forgive her for doing so, she said, "Yes, he is."

"Last I heard, he was MIA."

Her heart was already in her throat, but Annie refused to say any more.

"Rumor was you two were close before he opted out with his Russian girlfriend."

Still, Annie refused to reply. Hank was treading on dangerous ground here, and every promise Annie made to Auggie when they remet two weeks ago was now crumbling around her feet. With Auggie's departure five years ago, she'd felt bereft, and Hank was the first man she'd opened up to after a while, the first she'd gone out with and slept with. They'd never gone beyond being friends with benefits, but now she wished they had never met.

"You are planning on reporting this when you hit stateside, right?"

At that, Annie could hold her silence or anger no longer. "No, I don't. And before you start, Hank, listen to me. If you value our friendship, or whatever is left of it once you leave this room, you will forget you saw Auggie here today."

Hank scoffed and looked at her unbelievingly. "Annie, I don't get it. You're saying this guy is worth all this? Worth risking your job, your reputation, me?"

"This guy, as you say, is the best friend I've ever had in the world, and at the moment, the only friend I have. Now, are you going to do as I ask?"

"Not until you give me a better reason," Hank persisted. "Annie, come on. It's me. I know you."

At this point, he stood up from the chair and sat down next to her. Annie was still clenched and closed off, even as he placed a large hand on her back.

"When I first met you, I asked around, you know, about this hot, successful operative making her way up the ranks at the DPD. Everybody I talked to mentioned Anderson, what a team the two of you were, up until he ran off. But that was it. I never heard of him again, and you've never mentioned him. I thought we had something going on here, Annie, but the way you're acting now, I can't help but wonder if you've been lying to me all this time."

Annie sighed and turned to Hank, her anger melting a bit. "I have never lied to you, Hank."

"Maybe not out-and-out lying, but you never said anything."

"Because there was nothing to say," Annie said. "I'm putting a lot of trust in you here, Hank. Please don't make me regret it."

"You won't. Tell me."

"We were close, Hank. I trusted him with everything I had. He's the reason I'm this 'hot, successful operative,' but when he - when he left with Natasha, it nearly broke me. I couldn't blame him. He never knew how much I'd come to care for him, and Hank, if you'd see how he was with Natasha, you'd understand. He truly loved her."

She stood then, wondering how much of this story she could tell without digging both her and Auggie any further into the ground.

"Everyone - and I mean everyone, Hank - wrote him off as a traitor or worse at the agency. I tried my best to stop the rumors, but to no avail. And after a year of asking how the search for him was going, I was told in no uncertain terms to stop asking. I did, but I never stopped looking. That night you called me, when I got back from the mission, was when I found out he was here."

Her pacing had taken her to the window, and she looked out at the city.

"So he's been hiding out here all that time?"

"I've already told you more than I wanted, Hank, please don't ask any more questions."

She heard him get off the bed and walk up behind her. His hand came down soft on her shoulder, and she let him turn her around.

"Look at me, Annie. I won't let anything happen to you."

"God, he's not dangerous, Hank, and he's not a fugitive. Yes, Auggie lives here. He's made a life for himself here. I came here because I was worried about him, worried for him. He wasn't very happy that I'd tracked him down, but after explaining that no one knew the real reason I'd come here, and no one knew I was looking for him, he believed me. But now that you're here, I doubt very highly he'd ever believe me ever again."

"Why?"

"Because I told him about you, Hank. And who else would know I'm here?"

"I'm sorry about that."

"You wouldn't have to be if you promised to forget you saw him."

"You want me to lie."

"For the greater good. Isn't that our job?"

Hank rolled his eyes, but Annie pressed on. "Hank, please. After all Auggie's been through, he deserves to be left alone. From all I know and all Auggie knows, nobody is looking for Auggie. He's not a wanted criminal. He's done more for his country than most of us can ever strive to do in our entire lives. He deserves to live the life he wants to live."

A silent few seconds passed between them before Hank stepped back from her, dropping his hands from her shoulders. "You love him, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"What? I didn't -"

"You don't have to say anything, Annie. It's all in your eyes."

Her mouth opened to answer, but nothing came out. Love him? Love Auggie? The weight and truth of those two words rang through her head, and she could think of nothing to stop them.

Hank chuckled. "You know, a guy in my position would probably be upset, but we've never made any promises to each other. And I could always tell whenever we were together that there was something holding you back. I thought maybe it was the job, but now I know."

"Hank, I didn't mean to -"

"Shh," Hank said, walking up to her and folding her in his arms. "I know you didn't. We're still good, though I doubt I can ever call you up again between missions."

Annie dug her face into Hank's chest and hugged him, still reeling from the surge of emotions coursing through her.

"Now, this is all well and good," Hank said, pulling away from her, "but I have a vacation to get to, and I assume you and Auggie had plans for this evening that I interrupted?"

She scoffed, "I think we'll have to talk a bit first, that is if he's still talking to me."

"Then go," Hank said. "Go, talk to him. Tell him, Annie. And if he doesn't believe you, give him my number. What was said here tonight won't go beyond these walls."

With that, Annie reached up kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thank you, Hank."

"Don't thank me. I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know."

With that, Hank gave her a wink and left the room, leaving Annie standing alone with her thoughts in a whirl. Love Auggie? With everything she thought and felt about the man ever since she met him, could it be that simple?

There was only one way to find out, she knew, and with shaking hands and a heartbeat that pounded in her ears, she went to the closet to change. Hopefully, Auggie had retreated back to his apartment, and she'd find him there. If not, well, he only had a half hour or so head start. If she could track him down after a five-year absence, it wouldn't be too difficult this time around.


	11. Chapter 11

After the door to her hotel room shut behind, Annie couldn't get undressed fast enough. She quickly kicked off her sneakers and pulled a silky red wrap dress out of her dresser. It'd only been a few minutes since he left, and she hoped Auggie hadn't gotten very far. If she could get to him, maybe they could sacrifice their date at the night club, after all.

Two minutes later, she was headed down to the lobby in the elevator. She pulled out her cell phone. No messages from Auggie. She dialed his number, hoping against hope that he had it turned on or wasn't blatantly ignoring her. The phone connected as she pushed open the lobby doors and stepped out.

The first destination would be his apartment, she thought. He never did say where the night club was located, only that it was within walking distance. She'd turned and taken a couple of steps down the street when a nearby ringtone sounded, matching perfectly to the tones sounding in the cell phone she held to her ear.

Pulling herself to a halt, she turned to see him leaning against the outside wall of the hotel, in nearly the same position he stood the first day they met here. His cell was in his hand, and as she walked back towards him, he slipped it back in his pocket.

"Auggie," she breathed in a sigh of relief. "I thought you'd gone on to the night club or back to your apartment."

He shrugged. "Figured I'd give you the five minutes I promised."

Annie knew it'd been longer than that, but she wasn't about to argue at this point. "Thanks."

"You alone?"

"Yes, he's gone."

He nodded, but didn't say anything else and didn't make any attempt to move. The look on his face was completely indecipherable, and the growing silence only served to increase Annie's anxiety.

"So, what now?"

"Depends," he said, pushing himself off of the side of the building.

"On what?"

"On who exactly that guy was, and what he knows, and why he's here."

Annie took a deep breath to steel her nerves and slid her hand around his forearm. "He's Hank, who I told you about before, and he's off enjoying his vacation, alone."

He still didn't look like he believed her, and Annie felt her chances sliding away by the second. "Auggie, come on. Can we at least talk about this?"

He took a deep breath, but soon his face softened, and he nodded. "Come on."

The street wasn't all that busy, but Annie kept her voice low, anyway. "I didn't know he was coming. He thought he'd surprise me."

"Quite the romantic, huh?"

"I guess. He's always kept me on my toes," she said with a laugh. "But it's never been anything serious. There's something else, though, Auggie. He recognized you."

He didn't say anything, but Annie could feel the shock run through him down to his hand that gripped her elbow.

"But I've explained everything, and he's promised me that he won't say anything."

Auggie scoffed. "Sure, he did."

"No, he did, and I believe him, Auggie."

With a deep sigh, he said, "Get us somewhere quiet."

Annie looked around and headed towards a narrow side alley. Once out of the crowds, she pulled him close and grabbed both of his hands. "I know you have no reason to believe him, Auggie, 'cause you've never met him, but you know me. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do, but -"

"No, no 'buts.' I explained to him that you've essentially done nothing wrong and have built a life for yourself here. He understands and knows how much you mean to me," Annie pleaded. He still looked disbelieving, so she raised a hand to his cheek. "You have to believe me."

"I do believe you, Annie, but I know how the agency works. What happens the next time either of you are taken in for a polygraph, or -"

"Hey, shh," she said, sliding her hand over to cover his lips with her fingers. His eyes closed at her gesture, and Hank's words came back to her full force. "Everything will be all right, Auggie. No matter what happens, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure your life here is left untouched."

His hand came up to capture hers off of his face, and he held it close to his chest. "Even if that means you're lying to everyone?"

She laughed. "What do you think I've been doing for five years, Auggie? I'm very good at my job."

"Always knew you'd make a bad-ass operative, Walker," he said with a wink. She hadn't heard him call her that for years, and Annie reveled in the warmth that spread through her.

"I had the best to copy from," she replied.

He smiled at that, and she breathed a sigh of relief that she'd been able to get through to him and stave off his stalking off angrily and disappearing into the millions of people that made up Istanbul. It was difficult enough finding him the first time, and she wasn't sure she could bear losing him again.

He turned her hand within his and slid his thumb down the palm of her hand. It sent a flurry of goose bumps up her arm, but that was quickly heightened to out-and-out shivers as he raised her hand and kissed the same area he'd just caressed.

"I'd never want to pull you down with me, Annie, so if you want to walk away now, I wouldn't blame you," he said, his lips whispering against her hand.

Relying purely on instinct at this point, Annie took the step and a half forward that separated them. Their bodies brushed together, and she raised her arms to wrap around his neck. "Never," she whispered before pressing her lips against his.

In all the times she'd thought of, fantasized about, or occasionally dreamed of kissing Auggie, Annie never imagined she'd be the one to instigate it, but it didn't matter, she soon found, because a couple seconds later, he took over.

His mouth slanted over hers, and his strong arms pulled her even closer. Had they not been in such a semi-public place, Annie knew this would never stop at a body-scorching first kiss, but at the moment, she didn't care. Her hands thrust into his hair, the silky strands feeling softer than they looked.

His hands lit her body on fire as they slid from her shoulders down to her hips and back again. A sudden need for oxygen had them both breaking apart and breathing heavily. Their foreheads rested against the other, and neither seemed to want to break apart.

"Never, huh?" Auggie breathed.

She shook her head, causing both of their heads to shake, which then caused both of them to chuckle.

"Guess you're stuck with me, then, Walker."

"I would say we're stuck with each other, then, Profesör Clark," she said, lilting his name in perfect Turkish.

He growled deep in his throat at that. "Keep that up, and we'll never make it to the night club."

Annie wanted nothing more than to continue, but their relationship was still on unsteady ground, so she pulled back a few inches and slid her hands back down to regrasp his. "Well, then," she said, resuming her normal American accent. "I was promised a night of good music, food, drinks, and company."

"That you were. Although we could do all of that back at my apartment."

Annie audibly groaned at the innuendo and grasped his hand to tuck it firmly at her elbow. "Keep that up, and we'll never make it to the night club," she teased.

"Maybe after?" he countered as they began to walk back to the busy street.

"Definitely after."


	12. Chapter 12

"I'd like to think that I've completely rendered you speechless over the past couple of hours, but you've gone awfully quiet, Annie."

She giggled and squeezed her arms around his chest, nuzzling her face into his bare chest. Auggie had slimmed down slightly over the past several years, but the muscles were still there. They were lying in bed at his apartment, enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon.

"Mm, just trying to get my breath back is all," she teased. His hand continued to run his fingers through her hair that cascaded down her back, and the motion and sensations were putting her into a blissful sleep.

"Sorry if I wore you out," he teased.

"I'd accept that apology if I thought you were sincere."

"What can I say? There was five years of setup and prologue that I had to live up to."

His chest rumbled under her ears with laughter, but Annie's eyes shot up as she realized what he said. Raising her head to look up at him, she asked, "You've wanted to get me into bed for five years?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, yeah. Why didn't you say anything before? We were tied at the hip for those first six months."

A small smile came to his lips, and he pulled her up until they were laying side by side. "Think back to then, Annie. You were still hurting over Ben. You had stars in your eyes and a fire under your ass. I couldn't stifle that. I refused to."

He sounded so earnest that a sting of tears came to her eyes. "But still, you could've tried something. I wouldn't have said no."

He shrugged. "There's a lot of 'could'ves' in our lives, Annie. Could've, would've, should've. We can't live in the past."

"That only leaves the future and the present," she replied.

"Well, presently," he said, sliding his hands down her back to press her more fully against him, "I'm in heaven."

God, Annie thought, how can this man expect her to have a civil conversation while they're lying naked together? "Same here," she said. "Future?"

"Well, that's the question, Annie. I made the choice about my future a few years ago. Though I'd love to keep you here with me, for the rest of our lives, I know it wouldn't be fair to either of us."

* * *

For the remainder of her stay in Istanbul, Auggie's words rang through her mind. The rest of our lives. It sounded like heaven, and she began to dread the day she left for the airport. Could she do what Auggie did? Leave her life as she knew it and live happily ever after with the man she loved?

The practical side of her tried to talk her out of the idea, but suddenly, the prospect of living in her safe house/apartment, leaving the country for days/weeks at a time and running for her life when she did more often than not didn't seem as glamorous as it did five years ago.

She still hadn't made up her mind whether to stay or go when Auggie had dropped her off at the airport that final day. The heartbreak and promise of hope had her in tears for at least half of her flight home. The other half of the flight, she began to make plans.

The first step of her plan started when she knocked on Joan's door that first morning back.

"Welcome back, Annie."

"Thank you," she replied, immediately handing over the small gift bag. "As promised."

"Ahh, thank you. I'll open this later. Now, as for you -"

"I'm quitting, Joan."

In her mind, she'd phrased it less blunt, but the idea was the same. It also stopped her boss in her tracks. But Annie stood strong - well, sat, actually, but her confidence never wavered, and she watched Joan carefully. She knew if she were wishy-washy about her resolve or tried to lie, it wouldn't work, but she was determined to live her life the way she wanted to and not by others' rules any longer.

She thought Auggie had a good poker face, but he had nothing on Joan. The only tell she gave was a slight jerk in hands as she shuffled the papers in front of her. Then she sat back in her chair and met Annie's gaze.

A full minute passed as the two were at a silent impasse. Anyone passing by the half-shuttered glass walls would wonder what game the two women were playing at, but Annie didn't care. Her entire future was on the line in the next few moments, and she stood firm.

Joan moved first, leaning forward to place her forearms on her desk. "So, how is Auggie doing?"

The shock that moved through Annie probably rivaled the one that Joan experienced a few minutes ago. As such, she gasped, "How -"

Joan raised a hand. "This goes no further than this room. As it is, only a handful of people in the United States - now you included - knows exactly what happened. If you want to inform Auggie, that is your prerogative, but it wouldn't change anything."

A sliver of anger ran through Annie at her boss's words. "You knew? All this time, you knew? Every time I asked you about him, you knew and wouldn't tell me?"

"Couldn't, Annie. There's a difference, one you fully understand. The details are not important, nor will they change anything. All you need to know to take that scowl off of your face is that when Natasha returned and turned herself in, part of her deal was that we leave Auggie alone. Her motives were political. His were personal. She would cooperate only if Auggie Anderson stayed MIA. Suffice to say, she gave him his life back."

Annie gasped. "Wow."

"Exactly. Succinct, but exactly what we all thought. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you, Annie, but this was an inter-agency deal that came with a security level above even mine. I was only read in because I was his boss."

Another minute passed as Annie sat there, deciphering everything Joan had told her in the last minute. "It doesn't change anything. My life is with him."

Joan nodded, then sighed and leaned back in her chair. "It's not going to be easy."

"Nothing worthwhile is."

"I should say no, if only for the fact that you found the one man who could not be found in the entire world. How you did that is beyond me."

Annie shrugged. "I got a tip and followed up on it."

"Are you sure about this, Annie?"

She nodded.

"You have no idea how much you'll be missed. I'll start the paperwork, and you'll be reunited in about six months. But, Annie," she said, leaning forward onto her desk once again, "I'm sure you've figured this out already, but just as no one could know you were part of the agency, no one can know this, as well."

"Doesn't matter. I've been out of Danielle's house for years now, and she's moved across the country. Everyone else in my life is here in the agency."

* * *

The next six months, as Joan warned Annie, proved more difficult than she imagined. The government, she realized, doesn't like quitters, and she had to endure numerous interviews, exit polygraphs, and debriefing after debriefing. A few times, her confidence wavered, but the occasional phone call from Auggie boosted her resolve.

It'd taken everything she had to keep the news from him about what she was planning on doing. Not only was she quitting her job, she was also quitting her country, all for the promise of a life with a man that, really, she only knew for less than a year.

When the day came that she got back on a plane headed to Turkey, she informed Auggie when she'd arrive so he could meet her at the airport, but not of her plans to never leave again.

* * *

The second time she walked into Ataturk Airport, she felt lighter and more at ease with herself and her prospects than she ever had before. And the reason why stood amongst the crowds, blending in somewhat, but her eyes went straight to him. Without even thinking, she started walking faster, her small carryout wheeling behind her. She didn't have any other luggage, as she shipped all of her belongings a week before, and they were waiting for her to pick up.

"Auggie!" she shouted, giving him ample time to steady himself and open his arms as she flung herself into his embrace.

They both laughed, and he instantly raised his hands to her face and kissed her soundly.

"Mm, I've missed that," he said.

"You're not the only one," Annie replied, kissing him again. "Let's get out of here before we give these people too much more of a show."

"Sounds good to me," he said, taking her arm. "You never said, how long do we have this time? Though you were here three weeks before, only half of that was put to good use."

Annie laughed. "Well, you see, I was going to save it as a surprise, but I'm not leaving."

He stuttered to a stop, and several other departing people bumped into them. Annie apologized and led them over to stand next to the wall out of the crowd.

"Say that again."

"I've quit the agency, Auggie. The last six months I've spent in the world of debrief meetings and polygraph testing."

A stream of emotions crossed his face, and Annie stroked her hand along his cheek.

"When did you decide this?"

"Halfway back home six months ago. I spent the first half of that flight crying, and it was the only choice to make."

"So you're - you're here to stay?"

"If you'll have me."

His answer caught her by surprise as he wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips. He then lifted her mid-kiss and whirled her around in a circle, causing her to shriek in surprise and then laugh.

"I guess that's a yes?" she asked as her feet met the floor again.

"Yes, yes, of course," Auggie replied. "I'd wanted to ask you to stay when you left before, but -"

"I had a lot of thinking to do first."

He nodded, "And I didn't want to influence your decision."

"So, what do you say we go home?" Annie asked. "We could bribe Brady to stay with is girlfriend overnight and get reacquainted."

A knowing smirk came to his lips, and they resumed their walk down the hallway. "Mm, he and his girlfriend are on the outs, but considering he's the one that brought you to me, I'm sure we can talk him into giving us the night by ourselves."

**THE END**

**A/N**

**And so ends another story and more than likely the very last Covert Affairs fanfic I will write. After 70-some stories, I'm written out, and the lack of reviews/low traffic make it not worth the time it takes to put together these stories.**

**So, thank you all, and peace out.**


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